Flipper/Rehabber · Mobile, AL · Member since 2010 · 138 posts · 55 votes
Anyone have an efficient method (and economical way) to track down sellers of vacant properties?
If I don't find a better way, I'm going to take my returned letters and trash them (I'm just too ADD) - but I know there's gold in these, just need to be patient and pan for it!
Orange, CA · Member since 2012 · 4 posts · 11 votes
14y
Ok put up a FSBO sign in the yard with you phone # on it someone that knows the owner will call the owner their is a FSBO sing up they will call you and ask why are you selling my house. you tell them this is the only way i had to find you. what would like to do with this house
Allen
Wholesaler · San Francisco, CA · Member since 2012 · 259 posts · 147 votes
13y
Where in my reply do I come off as holier than thou? I gave my opinion and stated the way I prefer to do business.
People like to do things differently than me? Great! I then ask for details and clarify any misunderstandings. Then I look at my business model and my own ethics and make a determination if that is how I want to act/proceed/do business. There is no judgement or acting holier than anyone else. I'm just a simple aspiring real estate investor who is looking to do business the way I find most appropriate and to learn from each and every person I come across - you included.
Look, I'm happy that bandit signs are working out for you and I wish you success. Just because I don't think they are the proper way of conducting business doesn't mean I'm better than you. It's called an opinion and mine just happens to be different than yours. Can't be the first time it's happened and I'm sure it won't be the last.
Wholesaler · Bay Shore, NY · Member since 2009 · 359 posts · 199 votes
13y
What sounds holier than thou to me is how you go on about "the way you do ONE thing is often the way you do ALL things" ....Really?
So you drive the speed limit on every single road and highway? Because if you don't Brandon you yourself are "skirting" the law. Which means the same premise "the way you do ONE thing is often the way you do ALL things" applies to you correct?
You never got a ticket for speeding or any traffic violations? I guess you dont cross against red lights either?
When you confirm that you dont , with intent, do anything illegal in any sense no matter how small it may be then I will concede that my "Holier than thou" comment doesn't apply to you.
They are bandit signs for chrissake...not kilo's of cocaine.
RE Investors have been known to live a little on the edge. I see Joe's point but I also see where Allen is coming from.
All the negative commentary about Allens approach is based on supposition when all he stated was that he's trying to get in touch with the owner. He never said anything about collecting earnest money or committing fraud and i'm sure that's not his intent. I personally have never tried that approach but I'm not beneath it. If it works it works.
I think one should be willing to push the envelope a little considering the type of business we are in.
Just because someone isnt willing to take risks doesn't mean that other people shouldn't. If you are afraid to take risks then be afraid by yourself. Dont invite others to be afraid with you.
Some realtors are obviously against Allen's approach because of the rules and regulations box they have to operate inside of so it doesnt suprise me that the realtors comment says that it sounds like a seminar idea.
There are no REI police. If someone is going to do wrong they are going to do wrong no matter what.
Live and let live and stop being so judgemental of others conduct.
I appreciate the entrepreneurializing spirit here. I grew up in restrictive church that promoted the idea that rich people are evil and making money is wrong. So, when I hear someone say something encouraging as opposed to instilling fear about how to go about business, I need to hear that so I can be emboldened to take action, instead of asking myself everytime if its 'right or wrong'. Thank you @Michael G for encouragement to take action in spite of those out there where want to say it can't be done.
Real Estate Investor · Minneapolis , MN · Member since 2014 · 169 posts · 33 votes
12y
I use spokeo its good. For a Monthly fee of $35 for unlimited searches. My customers in judgments collection who search for debtor's property use this website as one of the source.
Wholesaler · Salt Lake City, UT · Member since 2009 · 1k+ posts · 401 votes
12y
For sale sign in prospects yard, yes it works, I did this by accident the first time. My sign guy picked up the list for signs to be placed and in one corner I had written a address of a property I was trying to find the owner for. I got a call from the owner asking what was going on and asked for the address, he gave it and I said we don't have a listing for that address, are you sure you have the address right and he said yes he owns the property. long story short we talked and I said I would sent someone out to remove it right now and thanks for calling that sign belongs somewhere else. He calmed down and that lead to his property being vacant and as he described it, it hit me this was a guy I was looking for and we made a deal.
Another time many years later guess kids messing around on a saturday night removed one of our for sale signs and planted it elsewhere and we got the call. That didn't lead to a deal but the homeowner trying to figure out why they picked his house. But he mentions some one down the street was thinking of selling and that sign play lead to a listing, signs on the wrong property seemed to work for me.
So didn't put out for sale signs, I put out reward signs, trying to locate the owner of this house, $100 for information leading to the owner. And yes the owner could collect it. And they did ask for it.
Also as stated above Acurent seems to be the "Premier" find them site and I can put you in contact with Steve who does a lot of this as his model is abandand properties.
Steve is a great guy and will spend the time needed to walk you through the systems he uses.
Hi @michael I am working on a few abandoned properties and it would be great if you could put me in touch with him.
Wholesaler · Charlotte, NC · Member since 2015 · 398 posts · 679 votes
9y
I realize this thread is a bit old, but it's highly visited and needs updating since it's almost 5 years old! The original poster indicated he wanted an economical and efficient way to skip trace abandoned or vacant property owners. There are efficient ways to track down these individuals; however, you'll likely need to pay more to receive accurate information. One major issue with the inexpensive tools like Spokeo, Beenverified, White Pages, etc is that the data is coming from unreliable sources. Most of these free or paid tools that don't require an on-site inspection are getting their information from old phone book records. All of these companies are essentially the same; they just have slightly different interfaces. Ideally, you want a tool that can pull directly from the creditors if you want the most up-to-date contact information on a seller. Unfortunately, a lot of these companies don't work with real estate companies because they prohibit their data from being used for marketing. The only tool that real estate investors can get access to that has semi-reliable data is TLO. However, you need to be cautious how you approach them because they are opposed to investors using their data for cold marketing. I've since moved away from using TLO, but it's a good option for novice investors who don't have high volume. The big downside with them is that they're getting their information from an old Tux file, which is only updated once every 6 months. When I was skip tracing my lists with them, I found that I was only able to find a good phone number for one out of every 20 property owners. As a result, my lists were very incomplete. I did find that the addresses are more updated than the phone so if you want to use this to find updated addresses for your returned yellow letters, then this is a good option.
One thing to keep in mind is that Not all skip tracing tools are created equally. If the company doesn't require a physical on-site inspection, it is likely not a good one. This may seem inconvenient, but it is a good thing and protects everybody. If anybody with a credit card and computer can get access to sensitive data, then it can potentially fall into the wrong hands.
I'm still somewhat in the dark about finding the phone number for sellers. Sounds like the general consensus is the services are inaccurate unless you pay top dollar.
Wholesaler · Charlotte, NC · Member since 2015 · 398 posts · 679 votes
9y
@Allan Smith A physical inspection requires a private investigator to inspect your home or commercial address to ensure you're a legitimate business. You're correct regarding having to pay top dollar. You have to look at it from the data brokers' standpoint. If just anybody can get access to social security numbers, addresses, and accurate phone numbers then someone with nefarious intent can do some real damage with this information. The site inspection requires the customer to "jump through hoops" in order to qualify for these tools.
Wholesaler · Charlotte, NC · Member since 2015 · 398 posts · 679 votes
9y
@Allan Smith There are quite a few that you can choose from, but you need to know people to get access to them. I have a contact at one particular company that allows real estate investors to sign up. I know TLO and Lexis Nexis have been cracking down lately on investors using their tools for marketing so a lot of people on BP have been getting denied by them. This company I work with doesn't mind you using their tools for marketing. Most of their searches range from $1.00-$5.00 per search as @Account Closed indicated. The hit rate is about the same as my better tools I use. I may be able to help you get connected, and I'll shoot you a PM.
Specialist · United States · Member since 2016 · 38 posts · 6 votes
9y
I have also been denied for TLO. Me and my big mouth, I told them I was using it to locate owners of distressed properties (e.i. Marketing) so they denied me on the phone right away. My question is, is there a time frame as to when I'd be allowed to apply again? I know better now, I need to tell them I am an investor that wants to do more research on contractors and tenants, got it. But does anyone know if there a time frame that you are "blacklisted" for?
Flipper/Rehabber · Corvallis, OR · Member since 2017 · 17 posts · 17 votes
9y
Spent several hours reviewing the best skip tracing like servises out there here is what I found:
1. beenverified.com works great at $30 per month and unlimited searches (tip on the payment page hit the back button to try the service for $1 for a week) I have a great luck with up to date phone numbers and social media accounts
2. A book, written mainly for hackers called "How to find out anything about anyone", while a little dated, is a great resource to find out more during your due diligence phase of your larger accusations.
keep your competitive edge with knowledge and research on your possible motivated sellers.
Flipper/Rehabber · Corvallis, OR · Member since 2017 · 17 posts · 17 votes
9y
Thank you @John Anderson , I'm actually on Experian building a mailing list right now! I've never used them for mailing, do you have any experience with their quality and price point compared to listsource?